Chain of Events
by acertainzest
Summary: A young Kate Beckett goes to a party. A young Rick Castle accepts a dare. What could possibly go wrong? An AU pre-series Caskett meeting.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi everyone! I'm back again with yet another "Texts From Last Night"-inspired fic. I'll post the TFLN tweet that inspired this at the end. There will be three chapters in total._

 _Note that for purposes of this story I've reduced the age difference between Castle and Beckett. Just go with it, okay? :)_

* * *

"Yeaaaaaaah! Y - 2 - K, baby!"

Kate Beckett rolled her eyes as the drunken whoop reverberated through the frat house. A small group of revelers went dashing past, red plastic cups sloshing beer over their hands, their sneakered feet crushing bits of pretzels and tortilla chips into the carpet as they threaded their way through the crowd. The rest of the partiers ignored them, gyrating to the music, laughing, drinking, carefree.

Kate shook her head and took another swig from the bottle of champagne she had liberated while the bartender's head was turned. She was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol, but she needed more to get her through this night.

What the hell was she doing here, anyway? She was the same age as most of these idiots - just turned twenty a few weeks back - but she felt light-years beyond them in maturity, thoroughly impatient with their childish antics.

Losing your mom would do that to you.

She raised the bottle to her lips again, scanning the crowd for any sign of Maddie - the friend who had accompanied her to the party and then disappeared - or of a reasonably good-looking guy who might be a little less drunk than the rest.

She wasn't stupid; she knew why single girls came to frat parties, especially on New Year's Eve. They came looking for, at a minimum, someone cute to kiss when the clock chimed midnight. And usually more than kissing, and usually way past midnight. She knew all of that, and she'd known it when she agreed to come to this party with Maddie.

As soon as the calendar flipped over to the year 2000, January 9th would be staring Kate in the face: a date that would always represent pain and grief for her; the first anniversary of the day her life had changed forever. Nearly a whole year later, and the agony of her mother's murder had barely subsided at all.

So yeah, maybe she'd come to the party looking to block all of that out, if only for a short time. Looking to drown her sorrows in cheap champagne and the eager, clumsy touch of a cute but forgettable frat boy.

But she might have waited too long, she thought grouchily as she watched the mass of sweaty, drunken fellow students bouncing to the beat of the music. It looked like just about everyone had paired off while she was moping on the couch in the corner; any guy left unclaimed by now would probably be so drunk he couldn't even get his own pants off, let alone hers.

She glanced at her watch. 10:45 P.M. She had an hour and fifteen minutes to either find someone to kiss, or throw up her hands and say to hell with it. She could still hop an uptown train and be back home in time to watch the ball drop on TV, with only her equally sozzled dad for company.

Her lips twisted in distaste at the thought. She wasn't ready to think about her dad's drinking, how it only seemed to be getting worse rather than better as the days ticked by. Time was supposed to heal all wounds, but so far it was doing a shitty job of it for both Kate and Jim.

No, damn it. She _wasn't_ going home to her dad and the cold, sad apartment with its echoing loneliness and empty spaces where her mom should be. She was going to find a warm body to help her forget. She had condoms in her purse and sexy, lacy underwear beneath her tight dress. She just needed to get her ass up off this couch and flash a smile, crook a finger, and some dumb boy would fall into her lap.

Hopefully not literally.

She took another mouthful of champagne. One more minute to gather her confidence, that was all she needed.

* * *

"Dude, this is pathetic. It's almost eleven and you still don't have someone to kiss."

"Yeah, _and_ , you totally chickened out of stealing that police horse."

"Shut up," Rick Castle grumbled, glaring at his friends.

Well, not so much friends, really. More like... guys he hung out with sometimes, and was always embarrassed about afterward. They were still in college, whereas he had graduated a couple of years ago; at 24, with a novel on the New York Times bestseller list and another one beginning to climb up the charts, he should really be finding himself some new friends by now. Yet somehow he kept gravitating back to the college guys, even though they were, basically, a bunch of immature assholes.

He punched one of them in the shoulder, just hard enough to make his point, and shoved the other. "I didn't chicken out," he growled, narrowing his eyes at them. "That cop was armed, in case you didn't notice."

"Please. He wouldn't have actually shot you," Chad insisted, then paused, his red-rimmed eyes glazing over in thought. "Would he?"

"Nah," said Marcus dismissively. "But whatever, dude, this is _the_ party. This party is where it's at, man."

"Yeah," Chad agreed as they wove their unsteady way down the sidewalk toward the boys' frat house. The pounding music from their fraternity's New Year's party could already be heard and felt in Rick's bones. "This is where you're gonna find her, dude."

"The girl you're gonna kiss at midnight," Marcus clarified unnecessarily. "Guarantee you she's in there, bro. No question."

"Guys..." Rick muttered hesitantly, scowling. "I shouldn't..."

"Come on, Ricky." Marcus pushed him forward. "Not still thinking about Meredith, are you? Dude, forget her. She's history."

"History," Chad repeated for emphasis.

"Yeah..." Rick knew they were right. Meredith hadn't been returning his calls for weeks now, since she'd headed out to Hollywood, so yeah, he definitely needed to forget her.

And although he wasn't crazy about the way the guys talked about the kind of college girls at these parties, it was true that all Rick wanted right now was a simple, uncomplicated fling. A warm, soft mouth to kiss at midnight, and then if she wanted to come back to his place and do a bit more than kissing, that would be great too. Tomorrow she could get back to her normal college-girl life, and he could go back to working on his next book and pretending he wasn't the kind of twenty-something who still hung out with college kids.

"And hey, check it out," Chad added, smirking in what he probably thought was a sly, smooth way. "While you were talkin' to that cop on his horse, I lifted these off him."

Rick and Marcus both gaped as Chad pulled his hand out of his jacket pocket and held up a pair of handcuffs.

"Oh shit," Marcus gasped, bursting into raucous laughter. "Dude, you did not."

"I so did," Chad hooted, and they both cracked up, clutching each other for support. Rick groaned and shook his head.

"God, Chad, you're such a dumb-ass," he grunted, trying not to grin, because come on, it was kind of funny.

"Dude. This is it! Shit, it's perfect." Marcus was alight all of a sudden, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and Rick felt a tingle of apprehension pushing its way through the alcohol-fueled haze that was his brain.

"What?" he asked warily, swaying slightly on his feet as they started up the stairs.

"You still owe me a dare from before, remember?" Marcus needled, smirking. "Because you totally wimped out with the horse."

Rick groaned again. "Okay, okay, fine. What's the dare?"

"You take these." Marcus swiped the handcuffs from Chad's fingers and shoved them into Rick's hand. "We're going into this party, dude, and the first girl you see - the _first_ girl-"

"-who's not already with someone-" Chad chimed in.

"-right, who's not already with someone," Marcus agreed, nodding, "the first girl, you handcuff yourself to her."

"What?" Rick blinked, briefly making himself dizzy. "You gotta be kidding me."

"No, no. It's gonna be awesome, you'll see," Marcus insisted, as Chad cracked up again, leaning against the door frame, his skinny body shaking with drunken merriment.

"It seems a little..." Rick trailed off, uncertain. His half-pickled brain couldn't quite puzzle it out, but he was pretty sure there was a very good reason why this was a very bad idea.

Then again, he'd thought the same thing about stealing the police horse too, and hadn't he been wrong about that? It would have been pretty awesome, after all. Riding a police horse around downtown Manhattan on New Year's Eve. Chicks would have loved that. Wouldn't they?

"Come on, what's the worst that could happen?" Marcus asked, throwing his arms wide, staggering a little at the motion. "If she's mad, you'll just kiss someone else."

Sure. That made sense, Rick thought fuzzily. It wasn't like he would kiss a girl who didn't want to be kissed.

"Okay," he said, nodding. He fumbled with the handcuffs until one loop clicked into place around his left wrist. Chad and Marcus whooped, grinning, thumping his shoulders.

"Atta boy, Ricky! Get to it."

"I'll get us some more drinks," Chad added, yanking the door open. The party hit them full in the faces - music blasting at top volume, the smell of beer and sweat, the air humid from accumulated body heat.

The three young men grinned at each other and pushed their way inside.

* * *

Okay, Kate told herself, it was now or never. Time to stop hiding on the couch like a timid freshman. Time to get up and -

"Hi! How ya doing?"

Seeming to appear out of nowhere, a large young man plopped down on the couch next to her. Before she had a chance to react, he had grabbed her hand and was gazing soulfully into her eyes. "I'm Rick," he said.

"Kate," she replied, slightly stunned. He had nice eyes, she noticed immediately. A bright, sparkling blue, set in a ruggedly handsome face, and she could see in her peripheral vision that he was tall and broad - just the way she liked them. His hand, wrapped around hers, was big and warm.

He smelled faintly of beer, and his eyes were a little glazed from it, but that was to be expected. At least he wasn't too drunk to even sit up. Maybe there was hope for this night yet.

"I'm really sorry about this," he said, making her frown and blink in confusion. "I want you to know that in advance."

"Know what? Sorry about what?" she asked, bemused. He didn't reply, but his hand shifted, sliding up her arm, and she both heard and felt a metallic click around her wrist.

"What the _hell_?!"

* * *

Oh shit, oh shit. Rick was definitely the stupidest man alive. Why the hell had he let the guys talk him into this?

He'd done it - handcuffed himself to the first girl he saw - and she was definitely going to kill him. And she was _gorgeous_. She was the hottest woman he had ever seen, he was sure of it. Oh god, he didn't want her to kill him. He wasn't ready to die yet. He wanted to kiss her. And so much more.

He was _such_ an idiot.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he babbled, watching with dread as her beautiful green eyes first widened, then narrowed murderously. "My friends, it was a dare. They, uh, they-" He looked frantically around the room, searching the crowd, but of course Chad and Marcus had completely disappeared. Their girlfriends had been waiting for them at the party and had whisked them away as soon as they arrived.

"Are you completely insane?!" the girl - Kate - demanded, her eyes sparking fire at him. Shit, the anger made her even hotter.

"No, no. I just took a dare. I swear," he said earnestly. "I promise you, I'm not some kind of... of..."

"Rapist?" she suggested acidly.

"No!" he exclaimed, aghast. "No, god, no, listen, I'm just an idiot, okay? It was a stupid prank and I... never should have listened to those jerks." The last few words came out on a sigh, his shoulders slumping in self-reproach.

Kate pulled her lower lip between her teeth, studying him. "A prank?" she repeated skeptically.

"Yeah..." Somehow he found himself telling her the whole stupid story, from the aborted police-horse heist to the handcuffs and the dare. He knew it made him look pretty bad, but he figured she had the right to know.

"That's some fable, Aesop," she remarked when he had finished. "Too bad you didn't read the moral in advance."

"Yeah," he agreed ruefully, rubbing his forehead with his free hand. "I really am sorry."

"Okay," Kate said coolly, "well, just unlock the cuffs and we'll forget this ever happened."

A sinking feeling dragged Rick's stomach toward the center of the earth. "Oh, shit," he mumbled.

Kate took in a long breath and sighed it out, closing her eyes briefly. "Let me guess. You don't have the key."

"I..." He groaned. "My friend Chad, the one I was just telling you about. He, he probably has it. We gotta find him." Chad would have the key, wouldn't he? Oh god, if he didn't, Rick really was going to be a dead man.

He watched helplessly as Kate hefted a half-empty bottle of champagne in her other hand. She lifted the bottle to her lips, and Rick's mouth went dry. Seriously? She was drinking champagne straight from the bottle? Wow.

"Okay," she said, lowering the bottle. "Let's find this asshole friend of yours, then." She licked her lips, and he couldn't help staring, transfixed. Damn, that was hot.

"Okay," he repeated. "Okay." Find Chad. That's what they had to do. He couldn't have gone far; Rick was sure that the guys wouldn't be leaving the frat house, not this close to midnight.

Oh god. Midnight was coming up. What were the chances that Kate was going to let him kiss her, after all of this? He searched her face, but her expression was inscrutable. She was a complete mystery.

"Let's go," she said, and they rose from the couch together, only a little awkward with their wrists cuffed together.

Once they were on their feet, he looked at her again and was surprised by how tall she was. Nearly up to his eye level, and he wasn't short. He wouldn't have to stoop at all to kiss her, and the mere thought sent tingles zipping through his bloodstream.

He let his eyes go wandering, appreciating the low-cut neckline of her dress, the tight fit of the material along her torso, and the short hemline. Below that, there were what looked like miles of long, smooth legs that he was already imagining wrapped around him.

He dragged his gaze back up to Kate's face and found her giving him the same once-over that he had just been giving her. Her eyes slid away from his and he thought he detected a slight flush staining her cheeks before she twisted her wrist, bringing her cuffed hand toward his.

"Hold my hand," she instructed, and his heart skipped a beat.

"What?" he managed, dry-mouthed.

Kate rolled her eyes. "It'll look less obvious that way," she said, her tone of voice clearly adding _you idiot_ to the end of the sentence. He felt his ears warming, but what did a little embarrassment matter, when she was slipping her hand into his, threading her slim fingers between his thicker ones, letting their palms meet? He'd never known that simple hand-holding could feel so intimate.

"Come on," she prodded, nudging his shoulder with hers. "Where would this friend of yours have gone?"

"Right. Um." He began to move into the mass of people, his mind churning sluggishly. Where would Chad be? Upstairs, where it might be a little quieter, or down here in the midst of the party?

"Have you seen Chad?" he called randomly toward a few faces he vaguely recognized, raising his voice to a near-yell to be heard over the pounding music. But everyone just shook their heads and shrugged.

Kate's hand was warm in his, and she was right: it was easier to move around this way, the cuffs sitting quietly around their wrists. No one would give them a second glance. Of course, it also forced her to stay close behind him, the long lines and curves of her body a tantalizing presence against his back. His head was swimming, and it wasn't just from the beer.

He pushed his way through the crowd, making slow progress toward the stairway at the back of the room.

* * *

Kate could feel the tension radiating off of Rick as she followed him through the party, but as for her, she was beginning to enjoy herself. This ridiculous situation might be exactly the thing she'd been seeking to distract her.

It helped that she was able to see the humor in the situation, after the initial shock had worn off. When Rick had plopped himself down on the couch and handcuffed himself to her, she'd been angry, of course, and a bit scared, but their conversation had served to reassure her. Rick's horror when she had mentioned rape was genuine, and as crazy as it seemed, she believed his story. Handcuffing oneself to a stranger on New Year's Eve sounded like exactly the kind of thing that one stupid drunk frat boy would dare another stupid drunk frat boy to do.

It also helped that he was seriously hot. When he'd been telling her the ridiculous story about his friends daring him to steal a police horse, his whole face had become animated, his free hand gesturing to punctuate the tale; despite being clearly at least half-drunk, he was still an entertaining storyteller. Then, when they had stood up, she'd been pleasantly surprised to find him a few inches taller than her, his broad shoulders filling out his t-shirt very nicely. She'd been so busy checking him out that she almost hadn't noticed him doing the same to her in return.

He did seem a little older than the typical frat-boy type at these parties, though. On that thought, she pressed herself in closer to his back, grinning at the way his steps faltered at the contact.

"Are you a student?" she asked into his ear, letting her breath flow across his neck. She felt him shiver, even as he was shaking his head.

"I, uh, graduated a couple years ago," he replied over his shoulder.

"Oh, so you have a job?"

"Um. Sort of."

Before she had a chance to ask what that meant, they had reached the far end of the room and slipped through a door, finding themselves in a stairwell. The noise from the party dropped off dramatically as the door closed behind them; the sudden quiet was almost overwhelming. Kate lifted the bottle to her mouth again, taking another large gulp of the lukewarm champagne.

"He might be upstairs," Rick explained, looking back at her with a bit of hesitation in his gaze as he put one foot onto the first stair.

Kate shrugged. "Okay."

They started up the stairs, side by side now, their cuffed hands still clasped together.

"So," Rick said after half a flight, "after we get out of this, uh, predicament," with an embarrassed wince, "is there someone we need to find and beat up?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. He glanced sideways at her, then returned his attention to his feet, watching them as they climbed the stairs.

"Guy who brought you here and then abandoned you," he clarified. "He must be some kind of idiot."

"Oh... no," she denied, feeling her face flush unaccountably hot. "I didn't, uh, I just came with a girlfriend." When his head came up again, wide eyes seeking hers, she quickly amended, "I mean, a _friend_. Who is a girl."

"Oh, good. Phew," he said, pretending to wipe sweat from his brow. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with, uh, but that's not really how I wanted to spend my New Year's Eve, handcuffed to a lesbian."

Kate laughed. "Okay, but how _did_ you want to spend it?" she couldn't help asking. "I mean, what was your big plan here? 'Oh, you handcuffed yourself to me without my consent, so yes, I would love to kiss you at midnight,' is that what you thought would happen?"

Rick grimaced. "It does sound pretty dumb when you put it that way," he admitted. "Somehow when my friends came up with the idea, it sounded kinda cute. You know, like the kind of thing a girl would think was sweet and romantic."

"I'm guessing your friends don't know much about women," Kate commented. Rick nodded thoughtfully.

"In my defense, I figured if you didn't want to kiss me I'd just find someone else."

"Oh," she chuckled, "so your Plan B was to kiss another girl while still handcuffed to me?"

He groaned, bringing his free hand up to smack himself in the forehead. "Man, I have really got to stop hanging out with those guys."

"Sounds like a good idea," she murmured, shaking her head in amusement.

They reached the top of the stairs and emerged into the hallway. The second floor of the frat house, where the bedrooms were, was quieter than downstairs, but by no means peaceful. Clumps of people were standing around, chatting, or in the case of one group, playing cards. Most of the bedroom doors were open with people coming and going. A few couples were leaning against the walls, already getting a head start on the midnight kisses.

Kate paused, letting Rick take the lead. He squinted down the hallway, then took in a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and started forward.


	2. Chapter 2

Rick was sobering up rapidly, and he kind of regretted it. He wished he had the nerve to ask Kate for a swig from her champagne bottle. God, it was hot watching her drink from that.

He knew that the odds of Chad having the key to the handcuffs weren't good. And in that case, what were they going to do? His head was spinning. He couldn't even concentrate on trying to figure out a solution, not with Kate walking at his side, her bare arm brushing his occasionally as their cuffed wrists jostled against each other. He imagined he could feel the heat of her skin against his, even through the material of his jacket.

Maybe it was just the alcohol talking, but he was pretty sure he might already be halfway in love with her. She was gorgeous, smart, witty - why didn't she have a boyfriend? He snuck a glance sideways at her. Was there something wrong with her that wasn't immediately obvious? Maybe he had unknowingly handcuffed himself to a psychopath.

Nah, that probably wasn't it. He stole another look. There was something guarded about her, wary. Maybe she had been hurt by a guy, so now she was more cautious, reluctant to risk another heartbreak.

Well, if that were the case, Rick told himself, he wasn't exactly doing a stellar job of redeeming the male sex in her eyes. He sighed, rolling his head on his neck in an effort to loosen the muscles. Sweat prickled uncomfortably inside his collar, and he cursed himself anew for not having had the foresight to take off his jacket before he put the handcuffs on himself.

Yeah, tonight was definitely going down in Rick's personal Bad Ideas Hall of Fame.

Midway down the hall, he spotted a familiar face at last, and his steps sped up. It was Chad's girlfriend, Brittany, and as Rick hurried toward her, calling her name, it dimly registered in his mind that she looked annoyed.

"Oh, hey Rick," she said, giving an attempt at a smile. Her gaze flickered briefly over to Kate, then back to Rick again. "What's up?"

"I need to find Chad," Rick said, trying to contain his impatience. "Do you know where he is?"

Brittany's face twisted in irritation and she turned her head sharply, looking down to her left. Rick followed her gaze with his own, and groaned when he saw Chad sitting on the floor, slumped against the wall.

"He thought it would be 'fun' to do five Jäger shots in a row," Brittany said sourly, nudging Chad with her foot, not gently. He shifted slightly and mumbled, but didn't rouse.

"This is the guy you're taking life advice from?" Kate asked, regarding the mostly-unconscious Chad with distaste.

"Never again," Rick muttered. He crouched down next to Chad - holding his left arm up so as not to pull Kate down with him - and shook his erstwhile friend's shoulder. "Chad! Wake up, man, come on."

"Hey," said Brittany to Kate, "aren't you the new girl who just transferred from Stanford?"

"Yeah," Kate admitted reluctantly. Rick felt his eyebrows rising, but filed the information away in the back of his mind. He tried shaking Chad once more, with no luck.

"Brittany," he said, looking up at the blonde, "he didn't happen to mention where he put the key, did he?"

"What key?" she asked blankly. Rick sighed.

"Never mind." Grimacing with distaste, he searched quickly through Chad's pockets, awkward with just one hand, the other twisted up toward Kate. But that too proved fruitless.

"It's no use," he groaned, pushing himself back up onto his feet. "He probably never had the key to begin with." He looked at Kate, wincing with embarrassment. "I... I guess we'll have to go to the police station. There's one not far from here," he added quickly, trying to placate. "It's just a short walk. Should only take us like ten, fifteen minutes and then we'll be... free."

"Sure," Kate said, rolling her eyes. "Unless they decide to arrest us for possession of stolen property."

Rick blinked. "Wait, what?"

"What about me?" Brittany whined, startling them both. She slumped against the wall, scowling. "Now I don't have anyone to kiss at midnight. This is bullshit."

Rick opened his mouth to respond, but Kate cut in before he could figure out what to say. "Get over it! This guy's clearly not worth it," she told the other girl. "You're wasting your energy on him."

Brittany straightened up, her beer-bleary eyes hardening. "You know, you're right," she said, nodding. "I don't even need this loser." She tossed her hair defiantly over her shoulder and stalked off down the hallway.

Kate turned to Rick, who was still standing open-mouthed like an idiot. "Let's go," she said, and tugged him into motion, heading back the way they had come.

* * *

Kate wasn't quite sure what had prompted her to speak up to Brittany - a girl she didn't know at all, whose personal life was none of her business. She only knew that it had frustrated her to see Brittany sulking over Chad when there were so many better options available - well, not here at this party, maybe, but in general.

As Kate made her way back down the hall toward the stairway, she felt Rick stumbling along behind her, and had to bite back a grin. It was kind of cute, the way he had reacted to her blunt words to Brittany. He clearly didn't fit the frat-boy stereotype, not the way his so-called friends did. No, there was more... depth to Rick.

Of course, a boy with depth wasn't what Kate had been seeking when she came here tonight. She wasn't in the market for a relationship, that was for damned sure. But... maybe it would be nice to spend the night with a guy she could actually talk to.

On that thought, she paused with her hand on the door that led to the stairwell. "What did you mean when you said you 'sort of' have a job?" she asked over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of the way Rick's eyes widened before she turned back, opening the door and stepping through.

"Um, uh," he stammered, stumbling after her, catching himself awkwardly on the wall with his other hand. Kate abruptly realized that she still had the bottle of champagne in her other hand; she lifted it to her mouth for another sip, and winced at the taste. It was warm and flat, ugh. She leaned down and deposited it on the floor against the wall.

The door swung shut behind them, closing them into the stairwell again. "Um," Rick repeated, and when she looked at him again, he seemed to be blushing. "Uh, I write books. But wait, what did you mean about them arresting us?"

Kate chuckled as she turned toward the stairs again, leading him downward. "It was a joke."

"Yeah, but no," he insisted, "they wouldn't- We would just-" His mental gears were clearly turning as he followed Kate down the stairs. He shook his head ruefully, sighing. "Oh crap. 'But officer, it wasn't me who stole them, it was a friend!' No way they'd believe that," he groaned.

"Nope," Kate agreed. She pursed her lips, wondering whether Rick realized how blatantly he had changed the subject. Was he embarrassed about writing books? Why?

But before she could decide whether to ask, they had reached the bottom of the stairs and pushed through the door, back into the main party area. The throb and thud of the music assaulted their ears; the lighting was dim, the air still heated and humid, the mood even more frenzied than it had been a few minutes ago. Midnight was fast approaching.

"I just gotta get my coat from the coat room," Kate called, raising her voice to a near-yell to be heard over the noise. Rick nodded understanding.

"Lead on," he yelled back, and she plunged into the crowd.

As before, they held hands while pushing their way through the mass of people, their cuffed wrists held low at their waists. Kate was in front this time, with Rick close behind her, his broad chest at her back, sending delicious tingles through her body.

"Don't worry," he said into her ear, and she had to suppress a shiver at the caress of his breath across her earlobe, the movement of his lips so close to her skin. "I won't let them arrest you. I'll tell them it was all my fault, that you're an innocent victim."

Kate felt herself smirking at that. Her, innocent? Not likely. "And they say chivalry is dead," she quipped.

"Just the honest truth," he insisted. "But if it all somehow goes wrong and we have to go on the run while still handcuffed together, like in some kind of buddy-cop movie, then all bets are off."

The raucous energy of the party swallowed up Kate's laughter, absorbing it into the general cacophony as they made their way across the room.

* * *

"Wait," Rick said as they fought their way through the party and reached the corridor that led to the coat room and the exit. This hallway was more boisterous than the one upstairs, but still not as crowded as the main party room.

Kate paused, looking back at him. "What?" she asked, frowning slightly with confusion when he stopped walking, their cuffed hands tugging uncomfortably as she tried to keep moving while Rick hung back.

She seemed jittery, restless, and Rick understood it; she probably couldn't wait to get out of here, get to the police station, and get rid of him. Who could blame her? He wasn't the kind of guy she would be interested in; he was just some random idiot who had ruined her night. Of course she must be eager to get going.

But there was something he really needed to do before they could leave the party. He cringed with embarrassment at what he was about to say.

"I'm sorry. Really sorry," he said, leaning closer so he could direct his words into her ear rather than out into the air for anyone to hear. "But I, uh, all the beer I drank, um, it needs to come out. I need to, uh..." he trailed off, his cheeks flaming.

"Oh my god," Kate said, her face twisting with distaste as his meaning became clear. "I am not going into the men's room with you, eww."

"But I..." Rick thought fast, the urgent pressure of his bladder spurring him on. "Okay, look, there's a, there's a urinal right by the door," he said desperately, gesturing to the restroom door at the side of the corridor. "You can stand right outside, okay? But I really gotta," he added, wincing. "I'm _really_ sorry."

"Ugh!" she huffed, throwing her head back in resignation. "Okay, fine. But make it quick."

It was awkward - incredibly awkward - but he managed it somehow, with his left arm stretched to its limit and Kate's arm sticking halfway through the restroom door, just far enough to allow him to reach the urinal and do his business. His free hand was clumsy with the fasteners on his jeans, but he made it work. Fortunately, no one else came to use the restroom while they were doing this contortionist act.

After he was finished, Rick opened the door and said sheepishly, "I, uh, I couldn't get to the sinks. To wash my hands."

Kate made a disgusted face, but relented. "I suppose I should be grateful that you even bother to wash," she sighed as she pushed the door open and entered the men's room, using her free hand to cover her eyes.

Rick locked the door, just in case, and made short work of washing his hands, doing his best not to get Kate's hand wet. When he had finished, after fastidiously using a paper towel to turn the faucet off, he turned back toward Kate and found her breathing shallowly through her mouth.

"It's not that bad in here," he said tentatively. Was it?

"It's a frat house bathroom on New Year's Eve," Kate said, the sarcasm coming through loud and clear despite the nasal tinge to her voice as she tried not to inhale. "I'm not taking any chances."

"Okay," he agreed quickly. "Okay. Let's just get out of here and get your coat."

He was relieved to see that Kate relaxed noticeably as soon as they were out of the restroom. Confident again, she threw back her shoulders and headed for the coat room, with Rick close behind.

The "coat room" was a mostly-unused parlor at the front of the house, containing a few mismatched chairs, several coat-trees, and little else. Tonight, the coat racks were overflowing and all of the chairs were piled high with jackets and coats as well.

Kate made a beeline for one of the chairs and began digging through the pile, pulling Rick along behind her. He was just about to offer to help when she gave a short "ha!" of triumph, pulling a dark brown leather jacket free from the rest.

She wriggled her free arm into one sleeve, then brought her other hand across her body to pull the coat up on her shoulder. Rick's hand, still cuffed to hers, went along for the ride.

But as Kate took hold of her coat's collar, Rick's hand accidentally fell onto her breast. The lovely round softness of it filled his palm for a brief instant before, with a gasp, he jerked his hand back.

"Sorry," he exclaimed, feeling his whole body flush hot with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. That was an accident. I'm sorry."

Kate stared at him, her eyebrows drawing together slightly, and he couldn't tell whether it was anger or... something else entirely. Her lips parted as if to say something, but before she could speak, a shout arose from the party room beyond the door.

"THIRTY SECONDS!" someone yelled, and others took up the cry, echoing back and forth through the frat house. "Thirty seconds! Thirty seconds!"

"Oh shit," Rick exclaimed. He had completely lost track of time during their meanderings around the building. How could it have gotten so close to midnight already?

Kate's eyes widened, and she pulled her lower lip between her teeth, apparently pondering something. Rick had to avert his eyes to keep himself from staring at her mouth. "Thirty seconds," she repeated under her breath, almost as if asking herself a question.

Abruptly, she turned toward the door. In two strides she was there - Rick trailing behind, of course - and she closed the door, twisting the lock with a definitive click.

"What are you-" he began, but the sentence cut off in his throat when Kate turned her wrist in the cuffs, once again threading her fingers between his so that their palms met.

Her free hand slid up his chest, across his shoulder, and around the back of his neck. Goosebumps shivered along his skin and he stared down at her in shock, finding her eyes dark and smoky and somehow amused - and he saw no hint of hesitation, no uncertainty in her face as she gazed up at him.

She didn't speak, and so neither did he, almost bewitched by the potency of the moment, the coat room like a small pocket of hushed stillness in the midst of the frenzy.

Feeling emboldened by her touch, her expression, he let his own free hand come up to slip around her waist. His palm found the small of her back and applied the lightest of pressure, just to see what would happen.

To his amazement, she responded to the hint, allowing his arm to pull her closer against him. Her breasts met his chest and another thrill of arousal coursed through him. And from outside the now-locked door, they heard the countdown begin.

" _Ten! Nine! Eight!_ " yelled the crowd of drunken revelers. Rick couldn't take his eyes off Kate: the heat in her eyes, the slight curve of her lips. His body felt like it was on fire everywhere they were touching. Their cuffed hands hung loosely at their sides, still entwined.

" _Seven! Six!_ "

"I'm really sorry about all of this," Rick muttered. His heart leapt at the way Kate reacted to the words: her lips curved further, the amusement twinkling in her eyes.

" _Five! Four! Three!_ "

"Don't be," she murmured.

" _Two!_ "

Kate's fingers tightened on the back of Rick's neck and, suddenly impatient, she tugged his face down to hers. Their lips met and they both groaned.

" _One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!_ "

* * *

In Kate's experience, college boys usually weren't very good kissers. But Rick, to her pleasant surprise, was an exception. Sure, the kiss started out a little sloppy, due to the alcohol and nerves, but he quickly recovered. His lips were soft and gentle but insistent, his tongue deftly exploring rather than invading her mouth. His teeth nipped lightly at her bottom lip and she dimly heard herself moan, her back pressed against the cool wood of the door with Rick's body hot and hard against her front.

Her hand was still on the back of his neck, her fingers running through the short soft hairs there, and she completely lost track of how long they had been standing there, kissing, pausing briefly for breath and then kissing some more.

Beyond the door, the cheers and shouts of "Happy New Year!" gave way to the traditional melody of _Auld Lang Syne_ , sung in at least a dozen different drunken keys; and then, a few moments later, the handle of the door Kate was leaning against jiggled roughly.

"Hey, wha' the 'ell?" slurred a loud voice on the other side of the door. "Who locked the coatroom?"

"Someone get the key," called another voice.

"Hurry up! Get it open! Come on!" a medley of irritated voices added.

Kate and Rick parted, panting, staring at each other. Rick's eyes were wide, searching her face with a mixture of uncertainty and awe. His face was flushed, his lips reddened, his hair tousled. He looked thoroughly delectable.

"That was amazing," he breathed, and Kate bit back a grin, struggling to calm the pounding of her pulse.

"Come on," she rasped, "let's get out of here."

Before she had a chance to second-guess herself, she removed her hand from Rick's neck and used it to flick open the lock and turn the doorknob. With her purse clutched under her arm and her jacket hanging off her shoulder, she pushed her way out through the crowd of startled partiers, pulling Rick along behind her by their still-cuffed, still-entwined hands.

She ignored the catcalls, wolf-whistles, and exclamations of Rick's name, making a beeline for the front door, the steps, and, at last, the chilly relief of the sidewalk. She was laughing as her feet hit the pavement, manic adrenaline bubbling up her throat and bursting out of her mouth.

"Happy New Year," she giggled, turning back to look at Rick. He still looked a little dazed, but his lips curved upward, her humor infectious, and he laughed too, a low husky sound that sent flares of excitement through Kate's body. God, he was hot.

"Happy New Year," he echoed, and Kate almost kissed him again, right then and there. But the moment passed, and she turned on her heel, tugging him into motion again.

"This way?" she asked, still grinning, looking up sideways at him as they fell into step. He nodded, staring at her as if he couldn't believe she was for real.

"Yeah," he confirmed, and almost bumped into another half-drunk young man stumbling down the street in the opposite direction. "Sorry, dude. Sorry."

"Eyes forward, Rick," Kate chuckled, and he grinned sheepishly, turning his face away from her to focus on the sidewalk ahead.

* * *

 _Thanks for all the enthusiasm for this story! The final chapter will be up in a day or two._

 _A special huge thanks to Meg for the fabulous beta work. :)_

 _And for those who asked - yes, I will be participating in the Castle Pornado on tumblr this weekend (June 30-July 2). Mark your calendars. ;)_


	3. Chapter 3

Rick didn't even care what an idiot he must look like, bumbling down the street alongside Kate, half-drunk on beer and punch-drunk from the kiss. Whatever might happen next, that kiss would definitely be featuring in his dreams for a long time to come. His skin still tingled with the memory of Kate's touch: her fingers on the back of his neck, her body pressed against his, her mouth soft and warm. She had tasted like champagne, and he imagined that was what he felt fizzing through his veins now, sweet and bubbly. If that feeling made him look dumb, so be it. He couldn't care less.

He'd been so sure that Kate hated him and couldn't wait to be rid of him... and then she had kissed him, and laughed with him, and now they were walking together like a couple. Okay, a handcuffed couple who had just met, but still. He had no idea what to expect from Kate next, but for the time being she seemed to be enjoying his company, and that feeling was definitely mutual.

The sidewalk was thronged with people, New Yorkers and tourists alike taking to the streets to celebrate the new year, so Rick and Kate pressed closer together as they walked down the block in the direction of the police station. Kate was trying with her free hand to pull her jacket up on her shoulder, and Rick reached across with his own free hand - very cautiously this time, to avoid getting anywhere near her chest - and helped to pull the coat onto her shoulder and across her back.

"Thanks," she murmured, flashing him a quick smile as she fussed with the collar and pulled the fabric more tightly around her. Her gorgeous smile made his heart stutter in his chest.

"No problem," he managed to say, and they continued walking, side by side, the noisy crowds beginning to thin out as they got a little farther away from the center of things.

After another block or so, Kate glanced sideways at Rick again, tilting her head curiously, and asked, "So why didn't you want to talk about writing books?"

The question startled him so much that he actually felt his jaw drop. How did she know? He'd only said a few words about it, and she hadn't seemed interested at all, in the moment.

"Oh, um," he stammered, "uh, it's just, it's not the kind of thing girls find sexy, that's all."

"Then you've been hanging around the wrong girls," Kate replied with an easy shrug. She was still studying his face with that curious expression. "So? You really write books? Like, novels?"

"Uh, yeah," he confirmed, his brain still stuck on _the wrong girls_. "Mysteries, to be exact." He hesitated and cleared his throat before mustering up the courage to ask, "Do you like them? Mysteries?"

"Sure," Kate nodded. "I read all kinds of stuff. But... so your books have actually been published? Really?"

"Yeah." He found that his hands were sweaty, his pulse suddenly racing with excitement. He'd never really talked to a woman who was seriously interested in his writing before. Not even Kyra, whom he'd thought- Well, that was irrelevant. With Kate by his side he could barely remember Kyra at all, let alone Meredith, or anyone else. "Uh, I have two books out so far," he explained, "and I'm working on the next one now. I'm supposed to finish it by the beginning of summer."

"So you had a novel published while you were still in college?" Kate's eyes were wide; she seemed impressed. "You must be good."

"Well, I guess." He shrugged bashfully. "The first one did better than anyone expected, really. So they offered me a contract for two more, and here I am."

"Wow. That's pretty cool." She actually seemed to mean it, too. _You've been hanging around the wrong girls_ , he heard in his mind again. Yeah. Maybe he had.

"Thanks," he said. "Um, so you could probably guess that I was a creative writing major, but what about you? Did you really just transfer here from Stanford? What's your major?"

"Yeah, I did," she acknowledged, looking away. "Criminal justice."

"Oh." He studied her profile for a moment, digesting that. "I would have guessed pre-law."

Kate's lips compressed into a thin line, her whole face seeming to shut down all of a sudden. "You would have guessed wrong," was all she said, and although her tone of voice was calm, her good cheer from a moment ago had evaporated. She stared straight ahead, her eyes shadowed, as they continued to walk.

Rick felt his gut clench with dismay. What had he done? It had felt like an innocent enough comment, and he couldn't understand why her mood had so suddenly changed.

"Sorry," he said tentatively, reaching across his body to touch her shoulder lightly with his free hand. "I, whatever I said, I didn't mean to upset you."

Kate shook her head slowly, and then more rapidly, as if trying to physically shake off whatever gloom had temporarily descended on her. "No, it's okay," she said quietly. She blinked a few times, shook her head again, and turned her head to meet his eyes again, giving a smile that looked fragile, but sincere.

"It's just, some stuff happened," she admitted softly. "The reason I transferred back here... I'm trying not to think about it tonight, okay?"

"Oh." Rick suddenly remembered his earlier thought about her guarded attitude, his speculation that she might be recovering from some kind of heartbreak. "Okay. No problem. Consider it dropped," he assured her. The last thing he wanted to do was remind her of anything unpleasant, and anyway, even though he was suddenly very curious, it was none of his business. "But if you ever do want to talk about it, I'm a pretty good listener," he heard himself add, and immediately winced, wondering if it had been too presumptuous.

But Kate merely nodded and said a quiet "Thanks." Then, as they continued walking, she glanced down the length of the street that stretched in front of them, and grimaced. "How much farther is it to the police station?"

She was shivering, Rick realized with a jolt, and he immediately felt guilty. It was December in New York - well, technically January now - and Kate's leather coat wasn't very warm. It might have been adequate, if she'd been able to put both arms into the sleeves and pull it tight around her, but with the cuffs still fastened to their wrists she couldn't do that. And she was obviously cold. Her right arm, the one with the cuff, was bare and exposed, and he could see her goosebumps by the light of the streetlamps.

This was all his fault, he reminded himself, and he needed to make it right.

"Um, it's like another eight blocks or so," he said apologetically, "but this is, this is my street right here." He gestured down the block. "That's my building there. Let's go in and warm up for a minute before we go the rest of the way. I can give you something to put on, a scarf or something."

"It's okay, I can make it eight more blocks," she said, though she didn't sound convinced.

"Kate, come on, you're freezing," Rick urged. "It won't take long. Just a minute in the heat and then we'll go on."

"Well..." She hesitated another moment, but then shrugged and nodded in agreement. "Okay. It would be nice to feel my toes again for a minute."

Rick huffed out a surprised laugh. "Yeah, that does sound good," he said, and led her toward the building, fumbling in his pocket for his keys.

A few minutes later, he was swinging open the apartment door and ushering Kate inside. "Welcome to my humble abode," he said grandly, and then winced at how cheesy that sounded. But Kate just snorted a soft laugh, looking around as he closed the door behind them.

"Wow," she commented, frowning dubiously, "you're, uh, a really big Martha Rodgers fan?" She turned in place, studying the many posters, playbills, studio portraits, and other collectibles displayed prominently on almost every surface of the living room.

Rick chuckled softly. "I guess you could say that. She's my mother. This is technically her apartment."

"Oh." Kate's face cleared, a small smile creeping across her cheeks. "That explains it, then."

"Right," he said, his ears heating up again. "And yes, I'm a grown man, still living with his mother."

"Nothing wrong with that," Kate shrugged, still looking around. Rick was abruptly conscious of how shabby the place looked; he liked to think of it as homey, and his mother's... _unique_ sense of style certainly shone through, but most of the furniture had seen better days, and the apartment was anything but glamorous.

Kate didn't seem to care, though. She dropped her purse and jacket on a side table, and turned back toward him. "Nice place. So... she's not home? Your mom?"

"Oh, no." He waved his uncuffed hand vaguely, trying to convey the capricious nature of Martha Rodgers. "She's out partying with the theater people. I doubt she'll be back until after sunrise." He grimaced, widening his eyes for comic effect. "The less I know about her exploits, the better."

Kate laughed softly. "That bad?"

Rick nodded emphatically. "Let's just say, sometimes I'm really glad there's a 24-hour diner right on this block."

"Gotcha."

She was looking right at him, and his throat was suddenly dry again, looking back at her, here in the privacy of his home. They were still handcuffed together and she had kissed him and she liked to read and she was so pretty and oh god, he wanted to kiss her again. And again.

But that wasn't why they were here. It was just supposed to be a quick stop to get out of the cold, and then he was supposed to be taking her to the police station, so they could unlock the cuffs and Kate would finally be free of him. He stifled a sigh. Better get on with it, then.

It was on the tip of his tongue to offer her a scarf from his mother's collection, or maybe a sweatshirt from his closet, but just then Kate's eyes suddenly lit up as she caught sight of something behind his shoulder. Glancing back, he saw that her had gaze caught on a large glamour-shot of his mother hanging in a frame beside the door.

The sight of the picture seemed to spark something for Kate; she straightened, her eyebrows going up as she looked at Rick again. "Oh," she exclaimed. "Does she- you probably- Where's the bathroom?" she asked, her words tumbling over each other in an excitement that Rick didn't understand.

"Right over there," he said, confused, indicating the bathroom door at the other side of the room, wondering what was going through Kate's head. He trailed along in her wake as she strode toward the bathroom, but then he paused in the doorway, blushing anew. "I'll, uh, I'll wait outside?" he said hesitantly.

Kate stared at him blankly, uncomprehending for a moment, until his meaning dawned on her.

"Oh," she said, rolling her eyes. "No, no, not that. Come here." She tugged on their cuffed hands, pulling him into the small bathroom with her. "I just thought your mother might have- Ahh!" She gave an exclamation of triumph as she studied the small shelf beside the sink, which was cluttered with all the various accoutrements of a 'woman of a certain age' - his mother's combs and hairbrushes, makeup, creams, lotions, and so forth.

Rick watched in bemusement as Kate plucked a bobby pin from the mess, and then, flicking on the bright light over the sink, she turned so that she was facing him, her hip leaning against the sink.

"Hold still," she murmured, lifting their joined hands up toward her face. "I've never done this left-handed before..."

To his amazement, she pressed the two halves of the bobby pin apart and, turning their wrists to bring the handcuffs into the light, inserted one end of the pin into the keyhole.

"You never mentioned that you knew how to pick a lock," Rick gasped, astonished, watching her probe around inside the lock with the tip of the bobby pin.

"Been a while," she muttered, her forehead creasing in concentration as she worked. She was chewing on her lower lip - he was pretty sure she didn't even realize it - and it was almost unbearable all of a sudden the way his body responded to her: her mouth, the nearness of her body, the back of her cuffed hand brushing his.

The fall of her hair into her face tempted him and he couldn't resist, bringing his free hand up to push the hair back behind her ear. He saw her shiver, and she lifted her eyes to him. He sucked in a startled breath at the dark heat in her gaze.

"Stop distracting me," she ordered, but her voice was husky and low, almost a bedroom voice, utterly lacking in the snap and bite that he thought she had been trying for.

"Sorry," he whispered, but he wasn't sorry at all.

Kate smirked, as if she knew. Of course she did.

But she bent her head back down toward the handcuffs, and suddenly, with a soft, anticlimactic click, the loop around Kate's wrist sprang open.

"Oh my god, you did it!" Rick exclaimed gleefully. "That is _so_ cool. You have got to teach me how to do that."

He saw her lips turn upward in a self-satisfied smile, but she was still focused, working on the second lock now. This one took only another moment, and then Rick's wrist was free as well. The handcuffs clattered onto the edge of the sink and Kate's head rose again, her eyes finding his.

"Free at last," she rasped, her face alight with triumph. God, she was gorgeous.

"Yeah," Rick said, flexing his left wrist experimentally, seeing Kate do the same with her right. It felt good to be able to move his arm freely again.

There was only one thing he really wanted to do with that arm now, and, emboldened by the heated look in her eyes, he did it. He slid his newly freed left arm around Kate's back, pulling her toward him. She came willingly, and his breath momentarily caught in his throat when her own arms came up, her hands skimming up his chest and then wrapping around the back of his neck.

"Can we try that again?" he asked, his voice low and hoarse with desire. "The New Year's kiss, the way it's supposed to be. Except without the party."

"It's supposed to be in the bathroom?" Kate teased, her eyes twinkling. Rick huffed, grinning sheepishly.

"You want to move?" he needled back, and watched her tongue come out to wet her lips as she shook her head slowly.

"Nope," she denied softly, pressing her body more tightly against him. Oh god, he was going to die. He was seriously about to keel over dead and the cause of death would be this woman.

"Five. Four. Three," she said, her lips curving again in another wicked smile. "Two."

"Happy New Year," Rick blurted out in a rush, and he kissed her.

* * *

Kate heard herself moan softly as Rick's tongue found hers. A thrill ran through her whole body at the contact, and she wriggled against him, hearing his answering groan with delight.

Okay, the evening hadn't quite gone as planned, but this was still exactly where she had wanted to end up - in the arms of a hot guy after midnight.

The kiss, like their previous one, was hot and wet and a little messy, and utterly arousing. Kate was exulting in the ability to use both her hands, pushing her fingers into Rick's hair to pull him even closer, and she couldn't resist bringing one hand back down to smooth across his chest, tracing the muscles under his t-shirt. Her hand slipped lower and found the bottom hem of the shirt, her fingers questing underneath to find warm skin.

Rick gasped when she drew her fingertips across his abdomen, and as if that was the signal he had been waiting for, his hands were suddenly on the move as well. One went sliding up into her hair while the other roamed her back and sides, slowly circling around toward the front, his thumb flirting with the outer curve of her breast.

Kate moaned again, her whole body flushing hot with desire at the intimate touch. Her back arched as Rick dragged his mouth away from hers, the stubble on his cheek rasping against hers as he trailed his lips along her jaw.

"Sorry about the accidental boob grab back there, at the party," he breathed into her ear, catching the lobe between his teeth. She shivered, her skin crackling with electric desire, remembering how it had felt when his hand fell onto her breast, the way his touch had made her tingle with arousal until he had yanked his hand away and babbled out his frantic apologies. The memory made her smile, even as her body was responding with even greater urgency. She pushed both her hands under his shirt now, her fingernails digging into the firm muscles of his back.

"It's okay," she panted. "We can try that again too. The way it's supposed to be."

Rick chuckled breathlessly as he swiped his tongue over her earlobe. "God, you're hot."

"Not so bad yourself," she whispered. And then she was gasping again when he finally acted on her suggestion, his hand coasting up her ribs to cup her breast boldly. His thumb found her nipple and she felt a flood of heat wash over her, setting her whole body on fire.

"Bedroom," she panted, whimpering softly as his tongue flickered down the side of her neck. "Rick. Take me to your bedroom."

"Are you sure?" Rick husked, pulling back to look in her eyes. His hand was still on her breast, stroking lightly as his lust-darkened eyes devoured her, and it was maddening. She needed more. She needed him.

She met his gaze and didn't hold back, letting him see everything she wanted in her eyes. "I'm sure."

* * *

"Wow," Kate sighed, letting her head drop to the mattress, her chest heaving with each breath. "That was..."

"Amazing," Rick finished for her, rolling onto his side to stare down at her in the dim light of his bedroom. "I had no idea."

Kate's eyes were closed, but he saw the corners of her mouth curve upward. "So, you liked it?"

He blinked in astonishment. Liked it? It had probably been the best sex of his young life. "Oh yeah," was all he could say, his dazed brain entirely failing to produce anything more.

"Even the part where I..." Kate trailed off suggestively, cracking one eye open to peek mischievously at him.

"Especially that part," Rick said fervently. "I loved that."

"Good," she grinned. "Me too."

She opened her eyes fully, looking up at him, and then shifted to lie on her side, facing him. Rick struggled to keep his eyes on her face, fighting the temptation to let them wander down and enjoy the sight of her naked body in his bed. It was like a dream come true.

"So," she said, her face mere inches from his, "you were pretty good at that. Had a lot of practice?"

"Um." Was she calling him a male slut? "No?" he said cautiously. "I mean, some. But I also read a lot." That probably sounded incredibly dorky, he realized. He had never admitted to anyone before that much of his knowledge of sex came from books, but judging from the reactions of the women he had been with, his reading had served him well.

To his surprise, Kate laughed. "Good answer." She leaned forward and brushed her lips across his. "Me too."

"Oh." He studied her face, wondering if she really meant what it sounded like. Did girls learn about sex from books too? He supposed it was possible, especially with a girl who liked to read anyway, like Kate.

He lifted his hand and let it drop onto her bare shoulder, then slipped it downward to cup her breast. "Well, you know," he said, waggling his eyebrows, "they do say practice makes perfect."

Kate's eyes danced, and he saw her fighting to hold back a smirk. "Yeah, I've heard that," she agreed, letting her own hand do some exploring of its own. He gasped and twitched, feeling almost lightheaded as most of the blood departed his brain.

"Oh my god," he croaked, as Kate pushed him over onto his back.

"Let's see what else you need to practice," she rasped, grinning as she rolled on top of him.

* * *

Kate startled awake a while later to the sound of a door slamming and a high-pitched giggle from beyond Rick's bedroom door.

"Riiiiiichard! Darling, are you home?" trilled a voice, and Kate felt Rick tense up beside her, a groan rumbling his chest.

"Oh shit," he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. Kate lifted her head and found the clock on his nightstand, which read 3:18 A.M.

"He might not be back from his partying yet, my dear," the voice caroled. "But even if so, don't mind him at all, he's a very sound sleeper." A second voice, lower and quieter, said something that Kate couldn't make out, and the first voice - which had to be Martha Rodgers - let loose a peal of merry laughter.

"Oh, you're so naughty!" she scolded, her tone laced with amusement. "Ooh, darling." Her voice dropped half an octave. "You _are_ naughty. Do that again."

"Ugh," Rick groaned, and in the dim light Kate could see a pained grimace cross his face. He rolled over and got out of his bed, moving silently but quickly, picking up his boxers and jeans from the floor. Kate sat up and watched him hastily pull them on.

"It's just gonna get worse," he stage-whispered, looking over at her. "Escape is the only option."

Taking his cue, Kate got up as well, finding her panties and bra and dress on the floor. By the time she had gotten them on, Rick had pulled on a shirt and sweater, and shoved his feet into a pair of loafers.

As Kate adjusted her dress and found her shoes, Rick moved over to the door, slowly easing it door open, listening.

"Ooh! You dog!" came a shriek from the other bedroom, followed by the bang of the door closing and another thump that might have been a body hitting the door. Rick winced, making an agonized face.

"Come on," he urged, while Kate quickly tugged her second shoe on and joined him at the doorway.

"Coast is clear," Rick muttered. He scurried across the living room to a closet, opening it quietly. Kate followed, grabbing her purse and jacket along the way.

"Here." Rick produced a long woolen coat from the closet, much warmer than the cute but impractical one Kate had chosen for the party. He held it up toward her, offering. She flashed him a grateful smile and accepted, easing her arms into the sleeves and letting Rick settle the coat on her shoulders. It was long enough to reach down past her knees.

"Thanks," she whispered. He nodded, glancing anxiously toward the closed door of his mother's room, which had quieted for the moment.

"Let's get out of here," he said, just as another burst of laughter rang out from the bedroom. Kate felt her own lips turning upward with amusement as she and Rick whisked out the door and down the hallway.

"Your mom sounds like a lot of fun," she giggled. Rick glared at her, his mouth falling open in outrage. "Oh, come on. It's kind of funny."

He sputtered briefly, shaking his head. "Well, you're entitled to your opinion," he huffed in faux-indignation, making Kate snicker again.

"Sorry," she lied cheerfully. "So, you said something about an all-night diner?"

A few minutes later, they were ensconced in a booth at said diner, where the grandmotherly waitress had greeted Rick by name and given Kate a very obvious once-over before smiling and calling her "honey." They both ordered coffee, and then silence settled over the booth, as the rush of adrenaline wore off and the awkwardness began to set in.

"Is your wrist okay?" Rick asked, and Kate realized that she had been rubbing her wrist, which was still a bit sore from the handcuffs.

"Oh, uh, yeah," she said, examining it. The skin was a little raw, but not broken. "It's fine. How's yours?"

"Fine," Rick said quickly, looking down at his own arm. "It's fine."

"Good," she said, and the awkward silence descended again.

"Look," Rick said after a moment, staring down at the table. "Uh, thanks for doing the rapid evacuation with me, but uh, I mean, you don't have to stick around. If you don't want to."

"Oh." Kate stared at the table too, wondering what she was supposed to say to that. He was right, after all. It had been a one-night stand, and it was over, so she was free to go. She could do the walk of shame - well, the subway ride of shame - and go home, shower, sleep it off. That was what you did after a one-night stand, wasn't it?

But... "What are you going to do?" she asked tentatively. "Just sit here and wait it out?"

"I've done it before," he shrugged, and she could see how much he wanted to sound casual and blasé, but he didn't quite manage it. "An hour or two is usually enough. 'Course, I usually have my notebook with me, so I can write."

Kate bit her lip, feeling conflicted.

It had just been a one-time thing, she told herself. It didn't mean anything. It had just been a night of sex - _really good sex_ , the voice at the back of her mind whispered - and they had both known that was all it was from the start. She wasn't looking for anything more; she wasn't relationship material at this point in her life.

Okay, yes, she was wearing his coat, but _not_ in a girlfriend-y way. No. Just in the way of a one-night-stand who didn't have a warm enough coat for the weather.

And yes, she had asked him questions about himself, and told him things about herself in return, but that didn't mean anything either. It didn't matter that he seemed really interesting, with a great sense of humor, or that she was intensely curious about the books he had written. It didn't matter that he had shown a real interest in her as a person. It didn't change anything.

But... at the same time, it couldn't hurt to keep him company for a while, could it? It would be rude to leave him here, alone, with nothing to do. Wouldn't it?

Besides, it had been nice to spend the last few hours not thinking at all about... everything else. Maybe it was stupid or selfish of her, but she wanted to prolong that feeling. To continue acting like a normal, carefree college girl, just for a little while longer.

"Um," she said slowly, "well, maybe we could order something to eat? And, uh, I don't know... hang out and talk?"

Rick lifted his head and stared at her, a delighted grin spreading across his face. "Really?" he said eagerly. "Oh, um, I mean, you don't have to do that," he added, flushing a little, his gaze turning bashful. "But I, I would like that. A lot."

Try as she might, Kate couldn't hold back her own answering smile. She felt her cheeks lifting with the force of it, and she ducked her head as a blush threatened to overtake her entire body.

"Okay," she declared, reaching for a menu. "Then let's eat."

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! And once again, thanks to Meg for superstar betaing. :)_

 _This story was based on the following TFLN tweet: "What could go wrong? i could have a mental breakdown with a bottle of champagne hand cuffed to a frat bro" - obviously I sort of toned down the mental breakdown part. ;) I hope you enjoyed it._


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